knownworldfandomcom-20200213-history
Clans
clan (n): A group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. '' A clan is effectively an extended family, but at the least it is a large group of people who claim descent from a common ancestor (whether in belief or in fact), or a group of individuals gathered together to provide mutual protection from outside forces. Clans in the Known World In the Known World, virtually everyone belongs to a clan. Insofar as membership in any given clan is concerned, one holds one of the following statuses: *Clan members in good standing, referred as inlaws or ''kin; *Former clan members in good standing, referred to as cousins; *Former clan members in unfavorable standing, referred to as outcasts; *Former clan members who are fugitives from clan justice, referred to as outlaw; *Non clan members who are viewed favorably or considered trustworthy, referred to as kith; *Non clan members who are not viewed favorably or considered trustworthy, referred to as strangers; *Those known not to belong to any clan, referred to as castaways, and often viewed by others with suspicion at the least. Each clan is headed by a clan chief called a clanhead. Clan Membership One becomes a member of a given clan in one of the following ways: *''By birthright, where one is born to a clan member in good standing, whether male or female. *By marriage, where a woman marries a male clan member. (Sometimes a man will join the clan of his wife instead, if doing so is advantageous to the couple, but men who do so may be snubbed by his former clan as a weakling.) *By adoption, where a child is adopted by a female clan member. A male clan member – usually the female clan member’s husband or father, sometimes another male relative – must go with the female member to meet with the clanhead and formally ask him to adopt the child into the clan; rejection of such a request is rare, unless there are legal problems with the request. *By induction, where an adult is formally adopted into the clan. The right to induct a member belongs to the clanhead alone, and he can choose to induct entire families into the clan. To join the new clan, the inductee must voluntarily swear allegiance to both the clan and its clanhead, and relinquish membership in other clans. The Clanhead ''Main Article: Clanhead The chieftain of a clan is referred to as the clanhead. Clanheads are recognized by law and custom as the lawful representative of the clan community, and hold final authority over all matters pertaining to it. Clanheads often represent their clan at local or regional meetings, councils and legislatures. While local courts and governmental authorities can claim jurisdiction in some inter-clan matters, clanheads are considered to be a law unto themselves in internal clan matters. Therefore, government authorities generally do not interfere intra-clan affairs, although they may intervene if a clan punishment is deemed exceedingly harsh or illegal. Clanheads typically hold their position by inheritance through male primogeniture, where the reigning clanhead passes on the position to his first-born male child. However, some clans will elect a new clanhead to the position upon the death, retirement or maiming of the previous leader. Typically such elections are held among a council of senior ranking clan members, though it is not unusual for a clanhead to be chosen by a vote of all clan members, sometimes including female clan members. While, clanheads are predominantly male, female clanheads do occasionally emerge, particularly in cases where the future clanhead has not yet turned 21 years of age. Female clanheads are treated with the same deference and respect as male clanheads. Most clanmembers will belong to the same social class, with the clanhead holding the uppermost rank and respect of all members of his clan within that given class. In some cases, the clanhead may be in a higher social class than some of the junior members of his clan, but this is not terribly common. Either way, older clanmembers will typically to be better off in economic terms than younger clanmembers, since the older person has been able to accumulate whatever wealth they may have over the course of several decades. Clan Powers and Privileges In most countries of the Known World, clans, through the authority of their clanhead, have the following powers and privileges: *Buy, sell and redistribute land and other major property among its members as they wish; *Handle the dispersal of a deceased clanmember's estate; *Require clanmembers to pay clangeld, or 10% of their worldly earnings (after taxes, tithes and guild-related dues), to the clanhead for shared use by the clan as a whole (see clangeld). *Arrange courtships and marriages, and sometimes divorces for its members; *Punish errant or outlaw clanmembers as the clan leadership may see fit; *Resolve internal disputes independent of regular courts or assizes, where all parties involved are part of the same clan; *Make political or financial deals with other clans; and *Demand compensation (or sometimes even revenge) in a court of law on behalf of clanmembers killed by an outsider, even accidentally. Two or more clans locked in a dispute over a given issue can choose to resolve the matter peacefully between them, or turn to a governmental jurisdiction. In less lawful areas, clans may resort to violence and even outright war as a means of settling disputes, though most clanheads will not likely want to shed clan blood over matters they deem to be trivial.